They may have left the wood chips (aka free mulch) to cover the bare soil area. Does it look like you can rake up the mulch and add topsoil to that area to fill any voids and plant grass or another tree.

That was the plan but the chips and mud have come together to create like a clay mass! And it is a HUGE area! There are holes in the ground where the stumps and limbs fell into the wet ground. I tried to go out and shovel it but I just don't know if it's something I can physically do....and I don't mind getting my hands dirty but this might just be beyond what I can do!

After removing trees to fill in holes I've bought them $2 simple 25 pound bags of top soil and filled in the holes rolling over the new dirt with one of them hand held soil leveling rollers.

The areas are always sorta a mess. Wood chips mixed in with half dead grass that was suffering anyway from getting to much shade.

So then I till up the soil and plant grass seed appropriate for how much sun the location now receives.

I'm sure any landscaping service would be happy to do this for you. Regular suburban lots have less tolerance for random ruts than I do. Try picking a company some of your neighbors have used with success.

first off ...

congrats on getting rid of a horrible tree ... or a tree in a horrible site ...

but please ... lets look at the POTENTIAL .. rather than focusing about what is left ...

first.. call the tree guy .. and suggest that you expected that the grindings were to be removed with the rest of the tree ... perhaps an underling just didnt finish the job properly ...

in my area.. they would have raked out a majority of the stump grindings .. and then may or may not have refilled the hole.. the grindings have too much wood in it.. to grow anything in ...

if he refuses [or doesnt reply] .. either hire a grandson .. neighbor boy.. or a landscape company .. to come and move out the grindings ... and move in some fresh soil ...

but most of all.. in the interum .. decide how you are going to fulfill the POTENTIAL ... are you inclined to just go back to grass ....

or might you bring in a few railroad ties or cement retaining wall blocks.. and build a raised bed ...

it all depends on where you want this project to go ..

removal of the tree was only step one in a multiphase project ... carpe potentum .. lol ...

good luck

ken

Well, we got an estimate to have the chips taken away and the ground skimmed so it is level. They wanted $700 and that did not include re-soiling or seeding. Needless to say, we are going to just take care of it ourselves. If it takes all summer, so be it. I refuse to spend that kind of money and it does'nt even complete the job all the way. We are going to use the chips in a back shade garden we have and then use some in a raised garden we made last summer. When it's all cleaned up, we will fill in the holes with new soil and re-seed. It will take us some time but saving money in today's day is what it's all about now. At least for us it is!!

i would also spend all summer.. taking myself to dinner on the $700 .. every day i put a few hours into taking care of it myself also ...

good decision ..

ken

Around here there's a practice of picking up some day laborers from the home depot parking lot. In past years they would congregate there and be mostly all picked up by 9 or 10 am but nowadays there's at least a hundred people there at all hours looking for work. If you don't have such a place maybe put an ad on craigslist for some helpers.
Essentially what we are talking about here is scooping up wood chips, and shoveling down some dirt. How hard can it be to find someone willing to do this for $10 an hour?

super..

when you realize that it does not have to be done the next day ... just about anything can be accomplished ... given enough time and hard work ... aka exercise ...

congrats ...

ken

So....let me get this right: After the stump is grinded up..one must remove all the wood chips AND old soil? Or can you sort through the soil and dispose of the wood chips AND reuse the old soil with new topsoil added?

I just had two large stumps grinded up and I left with wood chips left mixed with soil and a big hole. I intended to fill the hole with the mix but a friend said this would prevent grass growth.

So...do I remove the entire lot of mulch and soil or just rake out as much mulch as possible?

Thanks,

J

ground wood ... is compost.. the rotting process generates.. potentially .. enough heat to kill plants ...

ergo.. one must remove the wood to some extent ...

rotting also requires a lot of water ... which it will steal from whatever you plan to plant in it ...

if you wish to get personal replies to your questions.. start a new post.. and then the replies will come back to you.. instead of the original poster ...

for lawn.. you would need at least a couple inches of fresh soil.. and if you left the wood under.. you will probably have a pretty cool mushroom show for a few years ....

if you want a prime result.. you have to do the work ...

ken

I think a lack of nitrogen (because it would be tied up as the wood breaks down) and settling (as the wood rots) would be the issues of concern rather than heat or a lack of water (although drainage might be an issue). But, basically, you need to remove most of the wood, not the soil.

I had a tree removed and stump ground. I have taken 20 bags of raked chips etc. over to recycling zone. Now the area is drying out and I am having a problem raking it up because the ground is so hard. Any suggestions as to breaking up the hard mess. My lawn rake just won't do it. Should I wet it down and try raking the mess. Help! Shirley

Put down some mulch until the grass grows.